Red Sunset
by Tsunami Storm
Summary: Just a short oneshot set between the end of the first generation games and the start of the first season of the series. Pairings: Slight Rocketshipping, but only if you squint really hard. Rated K for a tiny bit of bad language.


Red Sunset, a story by Tsunami Storm

* * *

"Jessie! Jessie, where are you?!" James cried amidst all the chaos.

"James?" Jessie coughed, looking around for her teammate. "I'm over here! Near the training hall!" she coughed again. Inhaling _this_ much smoke _can't_ be good for her lungs.

"Jessie!" James cried suddenly, running over to her and hugging her close. "Thank goodness you're alright!" he coughed again as another cloud of smoke blew past them, before another explosion rocked the foundation of the headquarters.

"This 'Red' kid is nuts! He's gonna destroy the whole hideout!" one random Rocket member shouted to his partner as they fled the building, tossing their Pokéballs out of their pockets as they ran.

"Tell me about it! No paycheck is worth this! I quit!" the other shouted, tossing his shirt with the red 'R' into the flames, along with his Team Rocket hat. "I shoulda stayed in school!"

"You two better get outta here! Rumor has it, this kid's got that freaky clone Mewtwo on 'is side!" the first Rocket called as they barreled out the door to escape the inferno.

James and Jessie nodded, and were just about to follow when a large flaming beam collapsed between them and the exit. They were trapped!

"Now what do we do?!" Jessie wailed, going to pieces. "We'll be burned alive! And what about Meowth? We can't just leave him behind!"

"You're right, Jess." James answered, the determination in his emerald eyes burning brighter than the flames all around them. Jessie had never seen him look so... strong. "We can't abandon our friend. And we're not doing any good just sitting around here." he took off toward the secret elevator that led to the underground arena, then stopped short.

"James, what's the matter?" Jessie asked, running past him and then stopping.

"These Pokémon. They'll die in the fire." James breathed. He took out one of his own Pokéballs and released a Pokémon, which promptly proceeded to eat him headfirst. "Argh! Victreebel! This is _not_ the time!" he yelled, and the Venus flytrap Pokémon spat him out again, shrinking away from the flames.

"Look, I know it's not the best conditions, but for once I _need_ that big mouth of yours." James said to the Grass-type. "I need you to go around and swallow all the Pokéballs with a Pokémon inside, and you can spit 'em out when we get outside. Got it?" he asked of the plant, who nodded dutifully.

Jessie was giving her partner an odd look when he turned back to her, and he asked, "What? The Pokéballs will be safe enough in his 'bell', and we can get them out later. How else are we supposed to carry them?"

Jessie didn't have an answer to that, so she just shrugged and pushed the button. The elevator doors opened, and the two humans ran in, and Victreebel hopped in just as the doors closed, glad to be away from the flames.

"Wonder how the boss is faring against that kid." Jessie mused out loud, and James shrugged. "We can only hope we're not too late to save our third team member..."

* * *

"You're gonna pay for all that you've done, Giovanni." Red glared at the boss of Team Rocket and the Viridian City Gym leader. "To humans and Pokémon alike, but especially the innocent Pokémon." To accentuate his words, Mewtwo stepped out from behind him, anger glowing in its purple eyes.

"I see you've brought that Mew-clone failure with you. How poetic." Giovanni scoffed. "So you thought you'd administer justice, eh? A kid, a sub-rate copy, and a misguided 'hero' complex? Hah! Keep dreamin', kid. You'd need an _army_ to take me an' _my_ empire down!" the crime lord howled with laughter.

Red just smirked and took out a Pokéball. "Who said I _don't_ have an army?" Then he hurled the Pokéball skyward. "Come on out, Arcanine!"

An impressive-looking giant dog jumped out of the red beam of light, fire and pride burning in its eyes. It looked like a grown-up version of the Growlithe 'police dogs' that Officer Jenny's use. Red's smirk widened as he threw five more Pokéballs into the air, and five more Pokémon burst onto the scene. Soon, the tycoon found himself staring down a Charizard, Dragonair, Gyarados, Lapras, and Haunter, in addition to the intimidating glare Arcanine was giving him.

"Hey, I count seven Pokémon there!" Giovanni shouted. "No trainer's allowed to have more than six!"

Red just glowered back. "I know. Mewtwo isn't part of my team. He just came along because we have a common enemy: You." At this, Mewtwo folded its arms and glared murderously, a tactic it had learned from humans.

Giovanni regained his composure and smug grin. "Oh, isn't that beautiful. Humans and Pokémon working together. Ha! Pokémon are nothing more than dumb animals. Tools. A means to an end."

"_You_ might think that, but I will _never_ believe it!" Red roared, his anger rising. "You have used, abused, tortured, mutilated, and _killed_ innocent Pokémon! And not just physically either. You will pay for all of the psychological damage you have inflicted as well! You look at Mewtwo, and what do you see? A copy that is genetically engineered to be superior to the original? Just another mindless soldier, a tool in your quest for power? Well _I_ see a brand-new Pokémon, with boundless potential, who was used and mistreated, all for the illusion of 'science'! And I can't even _begin_ to speak of what you did at Lavender Town. All those Pokémon. You make me _sick_!" Red spat, actually holding his stomach to keep himself from throwing up. He had seen so many horrors on his Pokémon journey, and all of them led to this man. This monster.

"_Red..._" Mewtwo thought aloud, surprised that a human would defend Pokémon. Maybe not _all_ humans were monsters like Giovanni.

"Pokémon Tower was my greatest success!" Giovanni sneered. "And then _you_ show up and destroy my research!"

Something inside of Red snapped then. "_Research_?" he repeated in a deadly whisper. "_RESEARCH_?! All those Pokémon... little orphaned Cubone... all for a 'scientific' _experiment_?!" he roared, his eyes gaining a red tint as his rage grew to a terrifying level. Red's Gyarados sensed its trainer's outrage, and used 'Wrap' on its own master to keep him from doing something he'd regret. Dragonair looked into its master's eyes and started to 'Sing', not enough to put anyone to sleep, but enough to calm him down.

"You're right, you guys." Red breathed. "Thanks. Killing him would be letting him off too easy. You can let go now, Gyarados."

The Water dragon nodded, unravelling itself from its master's legs and arms. It returned to its master's side, and for the first time, Red noticed a small cage hanging from the ceiling behind Giovanni, containing a miserable Meowth. Red motioned to his Haunter, and the Ghost Pokémon floated over to its trainer. Red whispered something to it, which it found deeply amusing, and then it disappeared into the ground at Red's feet.

"Where's that thing going?" Giovanni growled, to which Red answered, "He's taking a little vacation on the island of Nunya. As in, Nunya business. I challenge you to a battle, Giovanni. Six-on-six. Loser gives up _all_ his Pokémon, including ones not in his current party."

Giovanni laughed, throwing back his head and guffawing to the ceiling. "I like your guts, kid. You're on. Since you have all eight badges and the Champion badge, it'll be a no-holds-barred match. Loser's Pokémon go free."

"Deal!" Red shouted, his anger back, but it was righteous anger this time. "Let's battle!"

* * *

Haunter floated through the floors of the headquarters, levitating all the 'occupied' Pokéballs it could find and carrying them with it. If any Pokémon were in the building, but not safe in the balls, it would clear a path to the nearest exit so they could escape. Eventually the hideout was empty, the only life signatures coming from the underground arena. Haunter called his ghostly friends from the genocide in Lavender Town, and they all phased through the floors back to the match. There were three humans and dozens of fellow Pokémon to save.

* * *

"Meowth!" Jessie and James cried in unison as they spotted their friend, and the cat Pokémon its forepaws on the bars of the cage. "Jess! James! Ain't youse two a sight fer sore eyes! Get Me-owth outta here!"

Jessie wasted no time in calling her Pokémon. "Ekans, use 'Acid'! And try to hit only the metal bars, and not Meowth!"

"Ekans!" the snake Pokémon responded energetically, spitting globs of acid at the bars of the cage. It allowed itself a proud smirk as the metal cage dissolved, and not a drop landed on its fellow Pokémon and friend. _Sssilly massster,_ it thought to itself. _I'm a pro at thisss!_

Once it was free, Meowth leaped into Jessie and James' arms and the threesome hugged each other and sank to the floor ecstatic to be reunited once again. "I've never been more happy ta see youse guys! Yer da best!"

"Ekans!" Ekans interjected, looking affronted. "Hey, what about me?" it seemed to say.

Meowth grinned apologetically. "Yeah, you too, Ekans. Yer _all_ da greatest!"

James looked over his shoulder then, and gave a very un-manly squeal and jumped out of the way as a fire blast from Charizard blew past him. "Yikes! We'd better skedaddle, or we'll be a Team Rocket barbecue!"

Just as they were running to the elevator, Giovanni called, "Just a minute, you two! Where do you think _you're_ going? Help me cream this brat, and I'll forget all your embarrassing screw-ups! I might even forgive what you did at Pokémon Tower, James!"

Red looked over at the two then, and raised his eyebrows when he recognized the blue-haired teenager. He was the one who destroyed that horrible machine and saved that baby Pokémon's mother. He had meant to thank the young man, but never got the chance, and never saw him again until now.

James took one look at his boss, then took out a Pokéball and tossed it toward the smoke. "Koffing! Get rid of some of this smoke!" he glared back at Giovanni, calling, "I've wanted to do this for a long time. I quit!" he yelled, ripping his black 'R' sweatshirt off to reveal a plain black t-shirt, and Jessie did the same, only her undershirt exposed her midriff. "The things you've done to Pokémon... I can't even say it. I want no part of Team Rocket any more! Come on, Jess. Meowth. Let's get outta here."

"Well said, buddy!" Meowth added, blowing a loud raspberry at a sputtering Giovanni, who was on his last Pokémon, and losing badly. The boss just gaped at the retreating teenagers and Pokémon, flummoxed at their brazen defiance. No one talked like that to Giovanni!

"Fine! Walk out that door! But if you do, I'll see to it that you never work in this region again! You cross me, and every door you knock on will be slammed in your face!"

An errant 'Fire Blast' diverted his attention back to his opponent. "You're not in much of a position to be making threats, Giovanni." Red stated, a smug smirk widening on his face. "As the score stands, it looks like _you're_ gonna be the one going down."

At the boy's words, Giovanni's final Pokémon fainted, its burn becoming too much for it. Giovanni stepped backward, fumbling in his pocket for a remote, which he removed, his thumb over a big red button. "I may be defeated, but you won't live to tell the tale, brat! I'm takin' you with me! To Hell!" and he pressed the button.

Manacles in the floor locked themselves around the boy's ankles, and Red gasped, but then regained his senses. "Haunter! Mewtwo! Now!" he cried, throwing a strange device to Mewtwo, who caught it with telekinesis and nodded. Haunter laughed and grabbed Red's Pokéballs from its master, and Mewtwo lifted the former Team Rocket teens and Pokémon with telekinesis and teleported out of there. It knew there was no way to save Red, as those manacles were built to resist even the strongest Pokémon attacks.

Mewtwo took one last look back at the boy trainer, and Red nodded. "So long, Mewtwo. I hope you find what you're looking for. Someday."

"_Goodbye... human who is a friend to Pokémon._"

Then it left. As Red succumbed to the pressure and lack of oxygen, his last thought was of his family. _Goodbye Mom, bro. I'll miss you. Both of you. And... I'm sorry._

* * *

Jessie and James could only watch in horror as the Team Rocket hideout collapsed in a blaze of glory. They knew that between Red's Haunter and James' Victreebel, all the Pokémon had escaped safely, (Meowth had translated for Haunter.) but they also knew that an innocent life had been extinguished today. Both Jessie and James had tears in their eyes as they watched Red's Pokémon grieve. Mewtwo stood off to the side, stoic and calm as always, but it too felt a sense of loss as the only 'good' human it had known left this world.

Suddenly it turned to Jessie. "_Female._" it called telepathically, and Jessie looked up just in time to catch the small device that Red had thrown to Mewtwo. She pressed the blue button, and a tiny hologram of Red appeared on the disk.

"Hey, former Team Rocket member!" the holo-Red greeted with a wave of his hand and a carefree smile on his face, though James thought it looked a little forced.

"I hope I'm talking to the right person, the one who saved all those innocent Pokémon in Lavender Town. If not, disregard the following message. But if it _is_ you, please. Listen to my last request.

"I just wanna say, first of all, thank you. Not just from me, but from all the Pokémon that you helped save. I never got your name, but just know that whoever you are, you have my, and the Pokémon's undying gratitude. No pun intended."

James chuckled at this, and he realized why holo-Red's smile had seemed forced. His eyes had sort of a haunted look to them. That kid had seen far too many horrors on his journey to be so carefree anymore. He was scarred. And those kind of scars could never fade.

"I've got a kid brother at home, and he's just as excited about Pokémon as I was. The thing is, he's... I don't want him to see all of the... _horrors_ that I faced. I want you to sort of... keep an eye on him. Keep challenging him. Keep testing him. I've already asked two of my close friends to keep an eye out for him, Brock from Pewter City and Misty from Cerulean City, but I need someone to 'play the part' of the antagonist. 'Act' like a villain, but be a good guy at heart. I know you're the right man for the job, because I've seen you do just that before.

"Now that Team Rocket is officially disbanded, you and your teammate will need a new motto. I've left some suggestions with my Dragonite, if you want to hear them. I know you'll rise to the occasion. You'll also probably need new uniforms. Remember: my brother has to 'think' you're bad guys. Maybe white. You can show your 'true colors' in plain sight. Pun intended this time."

Jessie and James chuckled at that, surprised at the amount of foresight this kid had.

"That's it for you guys, save one last request. Take my Pokémon back to Professor Oak in Pallet Town. I've already left him and my Mom notes that they'll find when the time is right. Thank you again, and I'll see you on the other side."

Beep. "End of message. Recorded today at 12:30 pm."

"James." Jessie gasped, holding the diskette with shaking hands. "That kid knew he was going to die. Why would he sacrifice his own life like that?"

The blue-haired teen looked down. "He's one of those rare people, Jessie. He only cares about others and Pokémon. A hero, if you will."

"_True selflessness. More precious than all the gold and rare jewels in the world, and more rare than Astatine or Francium._" Mewtwo commented, startling the humans. Then the Psychic-type Pokémon levitated and flew off, disappearing into the setting sun.

* * *

Five years later...

"Oh man! I overslept!" Ash Ketchum cried as he raced down the stairs and out the door to Professor Oak's lab. "I gotta get there before all the good starters get picked! Good thing the Professor lives right next door!"

Delia Ketchum smiled as she saw her son flash by the kitchen table on his way out the door. _Just like his brother... a love for Pokémon that knows no bounds._ She sighed with a sad smile as she picked up a photograph of Red and Ash from when they were young. Ten-year-old Red was giving five-year-old Ash a brotherly noogie, and grinning like an idiot as he did so. Ash had been squirming, but still managed to smile for the camera. This had been taken right before Red had left on his Pokémon journey. A tear dropped from Delia's eye onto the glass, and she wiped it away, looking next at her oldest son's Pokédex. She smiled sadly at it, then removed its memory card and put a new one in, this one depicting Ash's name and information.

"Well Red, your brother is starting his own Pokémon journey today. Can you see him, from up there in Heaven? If you could, will you watch over him, like the guardian angel you've always been?"

Just as Ash was receiving his very first Pokémon, his brother's Pikachu, Red smiled down from beyond the sky. "Already workin' on it, Mom."

* * *

The End

I know I'm going to get a lot of flack from the Poké-purists about this story, but I'm just gonna say it's kind of an AU. Hey, it's more believable than some of those Creepypastas that I've read. XD

On that note, I mention poor little Cubone. *sniff* It's _so_ sad! Personally, I think the skull looks more like a Charizard's head, but that's just me. The general consensus says it's Kangaskhan, but I'll leave it up to you. And Missingno is in there somewhere too. Can't forget about him! [her... it. Whatever it is. XD)

For Red's Pokémon team, I gave him my six favorites plus Mewtwo, because it demanded to be put into this story. Just pretend that this scenario is sometime between when it escapes from Giovanni and builds New Island in the first movie.

I've always wondered if there could be a connection with the trainer in the first-gen Pokémon games (Red) and Ash Ketchum from the series. So I wrote that they're brothers.

I've also always wondered why Jessie and James always follow Ash around, and I _know _it's not only 'cause Pikachu is so strong. And why are their uniforms _white_ while everyone else's are _black_? Hmm...

I might do a small sequel to this one that ties into Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions, but not right away.

On that note, I have no idea what Haunter was laughing about the last time we see it in this story. Maybe it was planning something. Hmm...

Tsunami Storm


End file.
